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Today's broadcast features "Best of Clark" segments from recent shows.

Are you afraid to open your own mail for fear of seeing your 401(k) statement? Clark recently spoke to one man who referred to his plan as a 301(j) because it keeps going the wrong way!

The Financial Times of London reports that every mutual fund company is seeing people pull money out with all the market volatility. American Funds saw a 7% decline in assets during the last 90 days, while Vanguard has seen a 4% decline.

Why is this happening? People fear a loss twice as much as they enjoy a gain. It's part of being human. We're backwards creatures; when stocks roar along, people pour money into them. So we're always paying too much on the way up and getting too little on the way down.

No one can time the market. Rather, it's time in the market that matters. Clark has 3 rules of thumb to help you maximize your money over the years.


Avoid these 3 gotchas and you'll have more money over time. Just don't try to figure out when to sell and when to buy. Keep buying every month through your 401(k) or other retirement plan.

Time in is more important than timing. People are always asking Clark, "Is it time yet to get back in the market?" His standard reply is, "I never got out."

CLARKONOMICS: If you're a business owner, you know that passing price increases to customers is difficult during touch economic times. Savvy shoppers may notice that Frito-Lay is reducing ounces and upping the price. Perhaps they're secretly trying to give you a hint about that diet you've been putting off?! Just kidding.

Gas stations are also squeezing costs in their own way. Some locations are offering cash discounts at the pump, which saves them the expense of processing credit card numbers. They can then pass a piece of those savings along to you. It costs a gas station about 10 or 12 cents per gallon to run your card. So it's really a win/win situation.

The spiraling rate of inflation has led to economic dislocation. The government is reporting the inflation rate at around 4%, but Barron's says it's actually over 10%. There's political benefit in lying about the rate of inflation, and it also cheats Social Security recipients out of the proper inflation adjustment. But we see the inflation everyday when we go out.

Businesses are in real bind because they have rising costs at time when there's less demand. Just look at the airlines and their huge fuel bills. Southwest is the only one that made a meager profit. Continental is not merging with United because the latter loses $6-$7 million a day!

Yet the average person pays fares that are up only 3% over a year ago. Why? Demand is too soft for the airlines to charge any more. When push comes to shove, airlines may be willing to park planes in the desert. This will reduce the number of available seats and allow them to charge more money for fewer seats. Every business faces this kind of choice in a recession.

So you must be an educated consumer and cherry-pick the deals. Patient leisure travelers can do this when it comes to flying. Shoppers can do this by avoiding overpriced groceries until they go on sale. It's like a chess game and you've got to out-think the business owner who is trying to sell to you.

Back in the '90s, Clark first talked about breakthrough laser technology being developed for the dentistry field. He went for a cleaning shortly after and discovered his dentist was very upset with him. Several other customers heard Clark on the air and were already asking about the laser! It turns out the technology is very expensive, but it eliminates most of the discomfort for common dental procedures.

USA Today now reports that less than 10% of dentists use laser technology. Yet if people become aware of the laser, they'll ask for it and dentists may comply just to seize market share. Dentists also would be able to charge more for laser services.

Clark has an old filling that he needs replaced. Why should he go the Novocain route when he can have the laser instead? There's even a special laser for root canals that reduces discomfort and the time you're in the chair by 30 minutes.

Laser could be a very promising option for people who take care of their teeth. But 1 out of 3 people don't get dental care in the United States. We're a developed country, yet we have people with rotting teeth! Clark thinks one possible solution would be to allow dental techs to do a special 2-year program that certifies them for basic dental procedures. Such a plan has already been enacted in Alaska.

We in America have historically enjoyed cheap energy prices. Of course that's all reversed now. There's a lot of evidence to suggest that energy could be costly in the future. While people are clamoring about finding more supply, what we really need to do is reduce our demand for energy.

One way to do that is build efficient structures. Architects who focus on "green" building can create savings of about 30% to 50% for the end user.

One American city that knows all about energy costs is Houston. In the heart of oil country, they're requiring commercial builders to construct energy-efficient properties. They're also trying to put those same standards on residential builders. The pushback from the residential sector has been intense so far. Montgomery County in Maryland is one place that has already successfully established mandatory green building standards.

Clark applauds Houston's efforts and hopes the city extends the standards to new residential homes. This can make a huge difference in energy costs. It's not about whether you buy into the idea of global warming or not; the reality is we're spending a fortune on energy. Green building is not about the environment, it's about your wallet.